He kissed her on the neck and licked her ear and whispered, "Let me show you how lonely I am."
He brought his lips to her ear, kissing her, and she shuddered.
His breath was foul. Everything reeked, everything felt wrong.
When he pulled away, she let out a breath of relief. Maybe he was done with her for today.
"I bought you a present," he said, grinning.
Meghan hated every second of this. The fear she felt was like nothing she’d ever experienced, and this entire thing had been a nightmare. But she also knew by now that she had to play along. If she didn’t, he would get angry. "You didn't have to..."
He was holding a box. It was black. She reached out.
"Go on," he said, pulling her hand closer.
She opened the box.
It was a silver necklace, and it looked old and dated. The chain was tarnished, but the pendant was still fine and shiny. On the pendant was a charm, a silver heart.
"You love it, don't you?" he said.
Meghan trembled and nodded. She was terrified to do anything else.
He kissed her again, and she closed her eyes, trying to think of something to keep him from hurting her.
The necklace was a cheap piece of junk.
She should have known. He would find so many reasons to lie to her about why he was doing this, but she didn't care anymore.
Her mind was full of nightmarish images of him chasing after her, of him snatching her from that parking lot all those nights ago. How long had it been now? Days? Months? Meghan had lost count.
"Why don't you wear it with your dress?" he said.
Meghan didn't reply, just continued to tremble.
"Oh, my dear, you're far too quiet." He took the necklace and moved behind her, and she stiffened as the cold chain appeared around her neck. "You better find your voice, my love."
He adjusted the chain on her chest.
"If you don't read me the perfect vows..."
He clicked the clasp shut, then moved his lips to her ear. Meghan’s heart stuttered. Fear coagulated in her veins. She held her breath as he said:
"Then it will be the death of you."
CHAPTER FIVE
Nicky entered Chief Franco's office first thing in the morning, and he looked up at her from beneath his glasses. The chief's office smelled like old coffee and stale cigarettes and the paper waiting to be recycled, and light poured in through the windows. "Agent Lyons, you're here early."
It was true. Mostly because she hadn't slept. Nicky left her apartment an hour earlier than she usually would, but this couldn't wait. She faced the chief firmly.
"Chief, I changed my mind. I'd like to accept Senator Gregory's proposal."
The chief didn't look surprised. He nodded, tapping his fingers on his desk, thinking about what Nicky had said. Then he spoke. "This is a high-profile case, Agent Lyons. You're in charge of a special task force, and you can expect heaps of media pressure, with Senator Gregory's name attached to it. If anything goes wrong..."
Nicky knew the risks. She knew this was a big deal.
But it wasn't just about the senator. It was about all the girls that were missing out there.